Trip help needed, please
 

We are going to North Carolina in September. We will fly into Raleigh and drive to Morehead City for 2 days. Then we want to see the race shops in Mooresville. Then 2-3 days in Asheville and finally back to Raleigh. I have several questions:
1. Where is a good place to stay on the beach in the Atlantic Beach area? We want to do some pier fishing.
2. Is the Sanitary Fish market still a good place for seafood?
3. Are there any good barbecue restaurants in the Mooresville and Asheville areas?
4. Is the Biltmore Estate worth the price and is there anywhere to get tickets at a discount?
5. Any ideas on cabin rentals in Asheville?
Thank you for any help.

My first suggestion would be to either choose the NC coast or the Mts. The trip you have planned is probably 800-900 miles. So you'll be driving at least 2 full days. Depending on when you are traveling, you may also have minimum stay requirements (esp. over Labor Day). So, for starters, stay on the coast, or, fly into CLT & do the Mts. www.vrbo.com for cottages & such in the Mts. Asheville is only a couple of hours from CLT & Mooresville is a 'burb. You could also take in some of the NC wineries. www.visitnc.com.

Hi! Sounds like quite a road trip! I do love our mountains and our coast, so I'd want to see both. =)

I wouldn't stay in either MC or Atlantic Beach. IMO, you can do much better for NC beaches - go a little further north to Beaufort or south to Emerald Isle. And we still love the Santitary - but I'm not a foodie, so I can't speak to it being a "good place". It's a tradition for us (and my kids love the boats on the window).

BBQ? Get yourself to Lexington or the central part of the state (Greensboro) on your trip. =)

I love Biltmore - but have only been there in the Spring and at Christmas. But it depends on if you enjoy touring old homes. My husband would rather poke himself in the eye than ever go there again. My eight year old son loves it. =)

lambyk - I'll fill you in on what my hubby and I did in the spring of 2007. We flew into Charlotte and visited all the race shops in the area and Lowes Motor Speedway. If you go during a time they aren't racing, you can tour the track (big highlight of our trip). We spent a couple days in the area before taking an afternoon and driving to Wilmington. I personally didn't find it a long drive - it was scenic and we both knew we were headed to the ocean! We spent the rest of the trip in and around Wilmington - beaches nearby are Wrightsville, Carolina, Kure. We also took a car ferry to Southport. We did have to drive back to Charlotte for our flight back home, but since it was an early morning flight, we took the trip back in the dark and found a hotel near the airport.

Forgot to add this link - the site will send you a free map/guide to all the race shops. Very helpful!

http://www.racecityusa.org/

Thanks for all the replies so far. Since my husband and I think North Carolina is the most beautiful place on earth, we have decided to add more time to our trip and just drive across the state, stopping wherever we want.

Travelhappyfamily - I will definitely look into staying in Beaufort or Emerald Isle. We can still drive to the fishing piers. We plan to stop in Goldsboro (where I was born) and get barbecue at Wilbur's on our way from Raleigh to the coast.

Buffy9297 - We have been to Lowe's Motor Speedway for several races and seen several race shops, but there are some new ones we haven't seen. And we definitely want to see Michael Waltrip's RaceWorld.

WannabeinaMontserrat -
Thanks for the info on the cabins in the mountains. I have never heard of VRBO, but it is just what we are looking for. And we will stop at a few wineries on our way back to raleigh.

lambyk, I'm glad to hear you added more time to your trip...I know the next time the hubby and I visit, we'd like to stay longer. Hope you have a great time!

You're making the right choice in adding more time to see everything - NC it truly beautiful from the coast to the mountains. Hopefully you'll make it up to Blowing Rock during a week day (it's packed on a weekend) to enjoy the shops and restaurants.

If you're still considering the Crystal Coast (Atlantic Beach to Emerald Isle), I would suggest Atlantis Lodge - it gets great reviews on Trip Advisor and is homey and relaxed.

http://www.atlantislodge.com

Weekend rentals for that area of the coast can also be found through these two - we've had great luck with both for the last 8 years...

http://www.emeraldislerealty.com
http://www.bluewatergmac.com

If you're poking your way in the mid-section of the state and want to get off the interstate, check out the Seagrove area for pottery and the nearby covered bridge.

http://www.visitrandolphcounty.com/

Best of luck.